World supposedly 20% bigger than Skyrim's, says development team. [Tentative, obviously]
30-40 minutes to cross world on Horseback
New streaming technology (CDRED Engine 3)
Geralt's Memory is restored
No chapters/acts
Dude is DONE fighting for everyone else
Everything from solving MYSTERIES to slaying monsters
Coming out on "all top-of-the-line" consoles

Monster hunting:

Clues build up information (like a Bestiary perhaps?)
Books garner information about monsters
Townsfolk provide information
Potions and such are important
Time of day and other conditions affect where monsters appear, and their abilities

Combat info

Critical strikes in areas that matter depending on how much you learn about said monster
You can disable a vampires poisoning attack by hitting its venom gland (Vampires are poisonous?) or skewer BOTH ITS HEARTS with a thrust attack (instant kill)
Monsters drop loot like unobtainable alchemical and crafting ingredients for unique potion, mutagen and item crafting.
Provides income as well

Narrative info

Lowest level = free form activities like crafting, monster slaying (seems to be much more extensive this time around) and questing.
Next level = Political situation of Nilfgaardian invastion is resolved through a core plotline for each area. These areas? -> Skellige, Novigrad and No Mans Land!
Final level = Geralt's main plot line, his search for his loved ones, and the chase of the Wild Hunt.

Other info:

Enemy AI completely rebuilt, scripted bosses out
Environmental combat 'contributions' (a dozen types of interactive objects) - wasp hive irritated using Aard
Magical signs retooled
The magic tree advancement allows secondary sign forms = ie. Igni and a 360-degree blast
Other trees, Swordsmanship and Alchemy
New strikes under Swordsmanship, boosts like improved stamina and parrying
Mutation mechanic under a different development path
Team aware of frustrations of inventory management in The Witcher
Crafting critical to maximize Geralts potential, but weapons and armor can be found in many ways
Players can customize their crafted weapons with some components, ie, monster scales for leather in armor
Each armor piece has unique appearance, new cloth simulation tech.
Barber is in from the get go. Dyeing hair is OUT OF QUESTION, White Wolf.

We believe that we should end the series on a high note. Technology has progressed to where we can finally tell the story the way we want, with the visuals we want, in the world we imagined. This will be the ultimate fantasy RPG experience, and while we’re hardly out of stories to tell, we believe it’s time for us to look to new worlds and new horizons to keep pushing the boundaries of what we can create.

Click to expand...

The renderer is still in development and will boast significant improvements by the time The Witcher 3 ships. "Right now you see the game in the old renderer, but it's going to be taken to a truly next level". In particular, the developers tell us that skin shaders and the dynamic lighting model will be markedly more advanced in the final version.

- 36 final states of the world and 3 epilogues (each 1 hour long)
- you can import your save game, but it's not going to change backstory of the game. Still, it will affect characters.
- you can buy horses or tame a wild ones by using Axii
- Geralt will be much more agile. Now he can jump and climb wherever he want.
- a wild animals will appear. Geralt may hunt them and take their furs, claws etc.
- main storyline is 50 hours long
- now people will call the guards, when they see Geralt stealing their stuff
- there is a new mechanic, which is similar to VATS from Fallout 3. You can aim at the specific parts of monsters bodies in slow-mo
- no more QTE
- Geralt now can achieve 60 level max
- PC and console versions have completely different UI
- you gain experience points only by completing quests, hunting will provide you money and crafting materials
- a two new minigames: axe trowing and card games
- economy depends from the area. In some places you can buy something for a lesser price, or sell it for higher price.

It’s hard not to mention Skyrim, but I believe that our approach to our game is totally different. What they created was an open-world RPG. What we’re doing is a story-driven RPG set in an open-world environment. For us, the most important aspect of the game is always the story. And by “story” I mean not only what’s happening, but also the choices and consequences, the moral gray areas, the good or bad characteristics of the NPCs that make them believable. After you meet them, you’ll remember who they are and why they do what they do. All that is the most important thing for us.

There won’t be any situation where someone attacks you and you won’t know what’s happening. The enemies will move around you and you will move as well, but it’s not wild and frantic. It’s a slow walk, like a slow dance. With swords. For all the enemies, we’re using real fighting techniques, many valid techniques. We have a few experts on our team, and we’ll be using stuntmen with huge experience for that as well. But Geralt’s fighting technique, it’s like sword dancing. He’ll have cool movements that you wouldn’t see in a real fight.